Naval News – Incoming Navy Secretary John Phelan, a seasoned investor with decades in private equity, takes office with a clear mission: to rebuild America’s Navy and revitalize the maritime industrial base. This will require bold, unconventional solutions to expand the fleet, integrate advanced combat capabilities, and, most importantly, restore fleet readiness. To do this, the Navy must look beyond traditional shipbuilding solutions. A “submarines-as-a-service” model—leveraging private industry and allied diesel-electric submarine producers—presents a way to quickly field Navy-trained, civilian-crewed undersea vessels that can fill critical training and development gaps.